


A World of Spirits and Spyrixes

by Taleslations



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Archived From Tumblr, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Gen, Meta Essay, Nonfiction, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 02:51:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16986744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taleslations/pseuds/Taleslations
Summary: An explanation of worldbuilding elements involving spirits.





	A World of Spirits and Spyrixes

**Channeling and Tethering**

Channeling is the act of offering mana to spirits in exchange for the activation of a spirit arte. As the following graph shows, humans produce mana from their mana lobe and, through an incantation, communicate the contents of the pact, e.g. the kind of spirit arte they want to cast, to the spirits. The spirits receive the mana and use it to activate the spell.

Direct-tethering follows that same principle, except that it binds a spirit to a human. In exchange for directly sharing mana with a specific spirit, that spirit submits to the human and can cast their artes immediately.

**Spyrixes**

Spyrixes are devices that allow the user to cast spirit artes without requiring an incantation and without needing an active mana lobe. Spyrixes require a spirit fossil to work. As shown on the following graph, the device uses the mana stored in the spirit fossil to lure spirits as if it was a normal channeling. It then forces the spirits to cast the spell, but since it does not provide the spirits with mana like in normal channeling, the spirits have to use their own mana to activate the arte. This often causes lesser spirits to run out of mana quickly and die.

**Spyrites**

Spyrites are a new, different kind of spyrixes. To create a spyrite, one pours mana into a spirit fossil with the help of a booster. The spell carved unto the fossil takes a physical form and the newborn spyrite can use the spell by using the mana stored in the fossil. This allows the device to work without killing spirits. Spirits revived as spyrites are reborn with the memories of their previous life.

**The Cycle of Life**

When a human dies, his or her soul enters the River of Souls, where one of Maxwell’s shadows purifies it to a clean state, wiping out its previous personality and memories. The soul then gains a vessel in the spirit world and the human is reborn as a lesser spirit. In some cases, the spirit world looks very similar to the human world to the newborn spirit and other lesser spirits tend to look like regular humans, but the impression fades over time.

When a spirit dies, the mana that forms their body materializes in the human world as a spirit fossil, while their soul enters the River of Souls to be reborn as a human. Spirits live longer than humans, but are not immortal and pass away when their time comes, or when for example they lose the mana that forms their body.

When great spirits die, their soul and body follow the regular reincarnation process, but their role is passed down to another spirit.

Maxwell, through the help of his shadows, supervises the reincarnation process.

In Rieze Maxia, not many people still believe in the reincarnation legend, but the faith is still strong in some places, particularly in Auj Oule and especially in Xian Du.

**Author's Note:**

> Sources: Tales of Xillia Perfect Guide p.491, Tales of Xillia Official World Guidance Book pp.8-9, 16.


End file.
